Starbucks
by Madzilla1010
Summary: Korra hates working at Starbucks, but she does get to meet some interesting people.


In Republic City, a person couldn't throw a stone without it crashing through the window of a Starfucks. The chain of coffee shops had buildings on nearly every corner of the bustling metropolis and while many considered the shops a blessing, Korra hated them.

Hated everything about them. The smell of coffee. The taste of the shit. The fact that every time she turned down a different street she immediately saw another one.

Most of her friends didn't understand her passionate loathing for the company: Coffee was fuel for every sleep deprived college student. Coffee was good. Starfucks was great.

Korra couldn't stand it. She hated coffee. She _hated_Starfucks.

Mainly, she hated the fact that she worked there and was making _shit_wage underneath _shittier_management.

It smelled. In Korra's opinion, like shit; but to most people, the smell of rich, dark coffee was warming, comforting even. She heard one sentimental sap say Starfucks smelled like a lazy Sunday morning, the scent of coffee rousing the senses enough to get people going.

Whatever the hell that meant.

Angry and tired from waking up at the crack of dawn, she tied off the back of her apron and glared down the counter at the loud coffee grinder. The smell was nauseating and the sound was skull splitting. Just how she liked it.

"Don't you look ravishing this morning, Korra." Tahno's voice echoed with the remnants of sex and rang with thick sarcasm as he greeted the young woman. As he walked by to prepare the espresso machine, his hand brushed _accidentally _against Korra's backside.

"Shut the hell up, Tanho. Just because you're my boss doesn't mean you get to get on my nerves and touch me whenever you want. Don't forget, I can kick your ass." Korra cut her eyes at him and found his similar blues dancing with humor.

"Seems as if someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning; I could fix that if you wanted, sweetheart." Winking, Tanho dug deeper under her skin by thrusting his slender hips in her direction.

Scoffing, Korra flips him off before beginning to put on the stupid visor on her head. "You couldn't handle me if you tried, Tanho." The plume of her hair spilled out at the back of her head above the Velcro, swinging prettily as she bustled about the counters.

Korra was thankful when the ring of the bell signified the first customer of the day. In a practiced gesture, Korra placed a fake smile on her face as she greets the young woman who happened to interrupt at perfect time.

"Welcome, to Starfu-" she coughed into her shoulder, "Starbucks. What can I get for you today?"

Korra glanced up at the woman who happened to tower over her. The customer brushed the dark waves of hair out of her eyes as she read the options on the board behind Korra's head. Slowly, the woman bit her red bottom lip as if it was really such a _difficult_ decision and her plucked brows pulled together on the smooth skin of her forehead.

"What do you prefer," her eyes, green as grass, glanced down at the Native's name tag, "Korra?" Her voice was soft and sincere, the sound easing Korra's headache.

Blushing, the barista answers, "Sorry, I don't really drink coffee."

Shrugging, the woman smiles, "That's fine. I always like trying new things." The double meaning in her words shook Korra from her aloof demeanor; surely, she realized what she implied.

"Uh…um." Shaking her head, Korra regained her composure. "I usually just make my own smoothie before I leave for school. Most of my friends think it's a pretty gross mixture; but, if you like Southern Water Tribe food, you'll enjoy this."

Red lips quirked at Korra's self-consciousness, "Well, products from the Southern Water Tribe certainly are… exotic. What's in it?"

Korra blushed, lighting up like a streetlight at the comment, "Sea prunes, white lotus extract, seaweed, moon peaches, moon flower seed for protein, and white dragon bush leaves for caffeine."

She laughed, tilting her head backwards and laughed. After she recovered, she looked at the barista and winked, "Sorry, but you're right, that _does_ sound pretty gross."

Her cheeks flushed darker, more in embarrassment than anger (when usually it's the other way around), "I know."

"I'll try it anyway."

Korra blinked, "You're kidding."

"Nope. How much?" Her hand went to her expensive looking purse, ready to hand her the yuons.

Slowly, Korra shook her head, "It's on the house. You'll probably hate it any way. There's no reason to make you pay for it."

Before Asami could reply, Korra was off. After a few moments of blending and mixing and concocting her potion, Korra returned with a transparent cup filled to the brim with a sludgy, green mixture.

Handing it to her, Korra said, "If you don't like it, tell me."

The raven-haired woman tasted it, cringing and smiling at the same time- if that were possible. "That's pretty disgusting."

Shaking her head, Korra chuckled, charmed by woman's brutal honesty, "I tried to tell you."

"You can have the rest." Asami handed it back to her, an apologetic ghosted across her lips. "Sorry, I wasted your time. Can I just have a coffee instead?"

Usually, Korra would be annoyed, but there's just something charming about the customer that makes her make the cup of coffee without any sort of complaint.

When she returns, taking the woman's money and placing it in the register, the woman is writing something on one of the cardboard cup sleeves. She hands it to the barista, "Call me and we can go out for drinks. No weird smoothies. No coffee."

Stunned, Korra stands holding the cardboard sleeve with a seven digit cell phone number and a red lipstick outline etched onto the material against her chest.

Asami, that was the woman's name (according to the sleeve), walked out the door. She blew a kiss through the glass.

Maybe Starfucks wasn't so bad.


End file.
